Sand-glass



P. H. WALSH.

SAND GLASS.

APPLICATION FILED rsmzr. 19I8.

1,373,373. Patented Mar. 29, 1921.

mllii|||||lninuilinlliln UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAND-GLASS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 29, 19.21.

Application filed February 27, 1918. Serial No. 219,513.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PATRICK H. WALSH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Belmont, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sand Glasses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to sand-glasses, by which relatively short periods of time are 7 measured. The most common form of sandglass, known as an hour-glass comprises two oppositely disposed pear-shaped glass portions connected by a restricted throat portion, and containing a suitable quantity of granular material usually referred to as sand. In use, the sand will gravitate from the upper glass portion through the throat and into the lower glass portion in a predetermined period of time, but there is no provision for gaging a shorter period of time than that required for the discharge of all the sand from the upper portion. It has been proposed, however,to utilize the fundamental principle of the sandglass to indicate units of time less than the maximum period required for the discharge of all the sand from the upper portion of the glass, the device designed for that purpose comprising two tubular portions connected by a restricted throat, instead of two pearshaped portions connected by a throat. Each of said tubular portions has been provided with a scale of numerals or other marks so that the quantity of sand that is bein discharged into the lower tubular portion may indicate upon the scale associated therewith the units of time that elapse durin the discharging operation.

y present invention comprises a sandglass having a tubular portlon and a relatively short but capacious reservoir portion connected by a restricted throat, the tubular portion being closed at the end that is remote from said throat. A scale of numerals or other marks is associated with the tubular portion to indicate units of time less than the aggregate time required to discharge the sand from the reservoir portion into the tubular portion or vice versa.

In consequence of forming the glass element with a single tubular portion and a single relatively short reservoir portion the aggregate length of sald element 1s substantially less than a glass of the same capacity having two tubular portions, my invention therefore providing a more compact structure, at the same time affording all the advantages of a glass having two tubular portions.

Of the accompanying drawings, which show my invention embodied in what I now consider the preferred form:

Figure 1 represents a front elevation.

Fig. 2 represents a vertical section through the device in the plane indicated by line wa7 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 represents a cross section in the plane indicated by line 2 1 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4: represents a perspective view of one of two similar caps with which the device is provided.

Fig. 5 represents a cross section through the structure intersected by line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts wherever they occur.

The glass element comprises a tubular portion 12, a reservoir portion 13, and a restricted throat portion 14. The end of the tubular portion that is remote from the throat portion is closed b any suitable means, such as a plug 15. suitable quantity of sand 16 is contained in the glass element, and in the present instance the proportions of the latter are such as to require a period of ten minutes for all the sand to gravitate through the throat when the axis of the tubular portion is substantially vertical. The length of the reservoir portion 13 is small compared to that of the tubular portion, the total length of the glass element being less than one-third greater than the length of the tubular portion alone.

The holder for the glass element comprises, in the present instance, four parts each made of thin sheet-metal stamped and otherwise formed so that they may be readily assembled and fastened together. These four parts are indicated respectively at 17,

18, 19, 19, the two latter parts being similar to each other in all respects for the sake of symmetry and economy of manufacture. Part1? is formed with 'a continuous marginal flange 20. Part 18 is essentially a fiat plate, excepting that it is provided with a continuous marginal flange 21, and with a longitudinal median trough portion 22 adapted to provide a bed for the tubular portion 12 of the glass element. Part 18 is arranged upon the edge of flange 20, and flange 21 overlaps flange 20 according to one-half of the glass element to be embedded therein so that the longitudinal median plane of the glass element Wlll be coincident with the hat external surface of said part.

The glass element is secured to the part 18 by the two cap members 19, the latter being shaped to conform to the protruding portion of the reservoir portion 18. One of said caps is arranged to, house and conoeal the reservoir portion and the other is arranged to house and conceal the remote end portion of the tube 12. Cap members .19 are provided with ears 25, and the flat portion of part 18 is provided with slits 26 arranged toreceive said ears. When the glass element has been embedded in thepart 18 as shown it is fastened to the latter'by inserting the cars 25 through the slits 26 and bending them back as shown by eotted lines in Fig. 1 3 and 5.. ,When the holder is thus assembled it is not apparent at which end of the tubular portion the reservoir portion is locatech the ends of the device being symmetrical in consequence of having the two similar bulbous housing members.

The holder consisting of the four sheetmetal partsis mounted upon a suitable base or support, which in the present instance is represented as a flat piece 2? of wood. A pivot pin 28 connects the holder to the base midway between their ends, the holder being invertible relatively .to the base. in consequence of swinging it about the pin. For the puroose of maintaining sufficient pressure and friction betweenvthe holder and base to prevent the latter from turning too freely a spring washer 29 of dished formation is interposedqbetween the head 30 of the-pin and the bottom of part 17. The device as represented may be fastened to any suitable supportingrfixture such as a window casing or door casing by screws 31. Portions of a suitable fixture are indicated at 32, 32, screws 31 being represented as being screwed into said portions; I have.

vided with two boss portions 34, the latter being formed by pressing the metal from the general plane of the bottom; These and by solid lines in and of greater boss portions are arranged to register with the cavities 33 so that they, may spring into the cavities as shown by F 1g. 2. W hen the holder is turned about its pivot 28 to invert it, it will spring suiiiciently to enable the boss portions to ride over the base 27,

' and when the holder has been turned 180 the boss portions will spring into the cavities 33 and thusserve to keep the axis of the glass element substantially vertical.

In. order to indicate units of time less than the total time required for all the sand to pass through the threat 1% I provide the part 18 with two scales of numerals as shown byFig. 1, each of said scales containing, in-the present instance; the numerale 1 to 10 inclusive. These scales are arranged adjacent the tubular portion 12, and the distance between each two consecutive numerals of each scale being equivalent to a time unit 01. one minute. The scales include horizontal lines 85. When the glass element is disposed so that the sand will gravitate from the tubular portion into the reservoir portion the unper level of sand in the tubular portion will descend, and consequently the numerals are arranged according to .a descending scale. The

numerals of the scale at one side of the' tubular portion. are arranged to stand right side up, and those of'the other scale are 111V6ll1. so that no matter whether the device is turned to place the reservoir portion at the top or at the bottom the numerals of one or" these scales will be right side up and readily readable. It the drawing be inverted t ic utility or" the scale then in readable position will be readily understood. ,Vhen the reservoir portion is at the top the sand will gravitate :tdthe closed end. and the ascending level 'as' the sand of time. Furthermore, in order to have the marks ofone scale directly opposite those of the other, instead of in staggered relation, the marks are 'so disposed that the distance between the throat 14 and the scale mark nearest thereto will be commensurate with one unit of time. i 7

So far as I am aware I am the first to have provided a sand-glass having a tubular portion and a relatively short reservoir por-' tion connected by a restricted throat- =1 believe I am the first also, to have provided a scale in combination with a sand-glass formed as aforesaid, whereby units of time may be indicated by the descent of sand in the tubular portion as well as by the ascent of sand therein. In other words, I believe I am the first to have provided a sand-glass whereby units of time may be indicated by the diminution as well as by the accumulation of sand in a; single tubular portion, thus confining the indicating function exclusively to one portion of the glass, instead of seeking an indication, in every case, in that part of the glass that is below the restricted throat. In view of the foregoing analysis I desire to obtain a claim not limited by two scales of numerals inverted relatively to each other, because the fundamental principle of utilizing a single tubular portion for indicating by the diminution of granular material as well as by the accumulation of such material is not dependent upon the provision of numerals, nor upon arranging the numerals or one scale in inverted relation to those of another scale.

I claim:

1. A sand-glass having a relatively long and slender tubular portion, a relatively short bulbous reservoir portion, and a re stricted throat portion connecting the first two said portions, an invertible holder for said glass, and a scale of marks arranged adjacent to said tubular portion to indicate units of time alternately by accumulation and diminution of sand in said tubular por tion.

2. A sand-glass having a tubular portion, a relatively short reservoir portion, and a restricted throat portion connecting the first two said portions, an invertible holder for said glass, and two scales of numerals arranged beside said tubular portion and ascending in the same direction relatively to each other, the numerals or" each said scale being inverted relatively to those of the other, said scales and said glass being fixed relatively to each other so as to move collectively when the glass is inverted.

3. A time gage comprising a sand-glass, a holder therefor, said sand-glass having a tubular portion closed at one end, a restricted throat portion at the other end, and a bulbous portion adjoining said throat portion, and two bulbous housing members inclosing the end portions, respectively, of said sand-glass, said holder having a trough in which said tubular portion is arranged, said holder and said housing members having interlocking portions arranged to lock the latter in positions to lock the tubular portion in said trough.

4. A time gage comprising a base, a holder pivotally mounted thereon and connected thereto by a pivot member, a sand-glass carried by said holder, said base having cavities arranged to receive the heads of screws by which the base may be fastened to an upright support, said cavities being diametrically opposite each other and equidistant from said pivot member, said holder having a boss arranged to enter either of said cavities to keep the holder from turning acciden ally about said pivot-member.

5. A device of the character described comprising an invertible holder and a sandglass carried thereby, a portion of the sandcontaining body being concealed and an other portion being exposed to view, the glass being arranged to discharge the sand from the concealed portion to the exposed portion and vice versa, and a scale arranged adjacent to the exposed portion to indicate units of time alternately by accumulation and diminution of sand in the exposed portion.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

PATRICK H. WALSH. 

